Security Systems News - Tom Connaughtonhttp://www.securitysystemsnews.com/taxonomy/term/523
enUL, Intertek announce support for ASAPhttp://www.securitysystemsnews.com/article/ul-intertek-announce-support-asap
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<div class="field-item even"> The testing labs find the program to speed the delivery of alarm notifications meets national standards</div>
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<div class="field-item even" property="schema:datePublished dc:date"><span class="date-display-single" property="schema:datePublished dc:date" datatype="xsd:dateTime" content="2011-11-22T00:00:00-05:00">11/22/2011</span></div>
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<div class="field-item even" rel="schema:author dc:creator">Rich Miller</div>
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<div class="field-item even" property="schema:articleBody content:encoded"> <p>CAMAS, Wash. and FAIRFIELD, N.J.—The monitoring industry’s Automated Secure Alarm Protocol (ASAP) got a big boost recently when Underwriters Laboratories and Intertek both announced that the new program meets the requirements of the National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code (NFPA 72).</p>
<p>ASAP, developed by the Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA) and the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials, has been deployed in Houston, Richmond, Va., and York County, Va., with plans to take it nationwide. ASAP speeds the delivery of alarm notifications to public safety answering points (PSAPs) by providing information via computer instead of phone from a central station.</p>
<p>“The analysis of the results of how emergency calls were handled during the recent mid-Atlantic earthquake and how notifications are handled day to day by the city of Houston’s Emergency Center are compelling,” said Chris Hasbrook, vice president for buildings, fire, life safety and security for Washington-based Underwriters Labs. “After a technical review of NFPA 72, the model code that governs these important life safety functions, UL found the ASAP-to-PSAP program consistent with the language and intent of (the code).”</p>
<p>Ed Bonifas, past president of the CSAA and co-chairman of the group’s ASAP committee, said the importance of UL and Intertek (ETL) certification extends beyond the monitoring industry.</p>
<p>“(Companies) are coming on board with this program with reckless abandon right now, so the alarm industry isn’t more or less likely to do this based on the acceptance that we just got,” he said. “But at the same time, we’re looking for public safety to adopt this as well. I think that showing compliance with the fire codes is a really valuable tool to help PSAPs accept that this is an OK way to take signals. (UL and ETL) are both really helpful to have on board, because nobody will question the acceptability of this for fire alarm communication.”</p>
<p>Tom Connaughton, director of global life safety and security services for New Jersey-based Intertek, said ASAP earned the testing laboratory’s ETL mark after a review that lasted about a week.</p>
<p>“We have a program manager and lead engineer who has 18 to 19 years of experience in this area,” Connaughton said. “We had him and his team sit down with the protocols and basically compare them to the (alarm communication) standard in which they’re experts, do a technical assessment and provide feedback. The results were positive.”</p>
<p>Connaughton said Intertek is in the process of incorporating ASAP into its alarm certification program and education materials.</p>
<p>“Intertek views this as the first step in the implementation of this vast technological development,” he said. “We see the need for it in the reduction of nuisance alarms and getting our police officers and first responders responding to real incidents instead of chasing phantoms.”</p> </div>
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<span property="dc:title" content="UL, Intertek announce support for ASAP" class="rdf-meta element-hidden"></span>Tue, 22 Nov 2011 17:20:10 +0000Tess Nacelewicz15081 at http://www.securitysystemsnews.comhttp://www.securitysystemsnews.com/article/ul-intertek-announce-support-asap#commentsNRTLs deliver Web tools for improved certificatinghttp://www.securitysystemsnews.com/article/nrtls-deliver-web-tools-improved-certificating
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<div class="field-item even" property="schema:datePublished dc:date"><span class="date-display-single" property="schema:datePublished dc:date" datatype="xsd:dateTime" content="2011-07-07T10:19:34-04:00">07/07/2011</span></div>
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<div class="field-item even" rel="schema:author dc:creator">Daniel Gelinas</div>
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<div class="field-item even" property="schema:articleBody content:encoded"><p>CHARLOTTE, N.C. and CHICAGO—The security industry's two main NRTLs (nationally recognized testing laboratories), Underwriters Laboratories and Intertek ETL have each announced online tools designed to make the certificate process quicker and more accurate.</p>
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Integrators, central stations and AHJs all need access to relevant certificates in order to prove NRTL requirements for equipment and installations have been met. The process of applying for and acquiring said certificates has traditionally been time consuming.</p>
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UL has enhanced its online certificate services to provide more user-friendly and timely access to UL's Alarm Certificate Service, UL's section manager for alarm certificate services Pete Tallman told <em>Security Systems News</em> at the recent ESX.</p>
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"We're trying to get the word out to everyone here," Tallman said. "We're trying to do everything we can to make this process easier and faster."</p>
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Called ULwebCerts, the service allows alarm service providers to manage their UL alarm certificates and certificate applications on-line via UL's secure website, <a href="mailto:MyHome@UL.com">MyHome@UL.com</a>. With ULwebCerts, UL Alarm Certificate Service customers can now request alarm certificates and receive immediate delivery of their certificate serial number and a "proof of certificate request," quickly satisfying AHJ requests.</p>
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Intertek ETL, which <a href="http://www.securitysystemsnews.com/article/csaa-general-membership-meeting-csaa-very-good-shape" target="_blank">last year was approved by CSAA as a NRTL for the alarm industry</a>, in June announced the launch of ETL AlarmDirect, a Web-based system providing around-the-clock access to intrusion and fire alarm certificate information for central stations, installers, dealers/integrators and AHJs. ETL says AlarmDirect will make the alarm certificate process quicker and more accurate.</p>
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"This is something we're extremely proud of. We've been developing this for the last few years. We've been in beta test mode for the last two months," said Tom Connaughton, who is ETL director life safety and security services, global and building products, North America. "This was based on talking with current and prospective customers as well as listening to what the AHJ community needs. What were their drivers? Transparency throughout the process, it's something we heard constantly and something this tool does. It's very important that we have complete transparency when we're talking to the AHJ and insurance carrier world."</p>
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AlarmDirect provides for the creation and delivery of alarm system description certificates around the clock, allowing for real-time status review and an overall process that takes a fraction of the time.</p>
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"What we've done is we've gone from a manual certificate generation process to an online and fully automated certificate generation process … Essentially it increases the reliability because there's no more human interface related to data entry," Connaughton said. "We developed this specifically to meet the needs of the alarm installers and the AHJ community. They've been asking for an automated, online system for some years now with no answer from our competitors … Traditionally customers would wait four to eight weeks from legacy competitors in this space to receive their certificates, whereas we're providing the turn around in hours, which is what the industry needs."</p>
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In 2008, <a href="http://www.securitysystemsnews.com/article/meet-myhomeulcom" target="_blank">UL began testing more extensive online certification tools</a> and, based on positive feedback, the company stepped up the offering.</p>
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"We produced a more robust, comprehensive fully functional online portal—versus simply a design tool. The new ULwebCerts service is the next generation to this type of service offering for our Alarm Certificate Service customers," UL global marketing director Rob Tockarshewsky said. "There were several new enhancements and online view modifications added, making ULwebCerts much more comprehensive and user-friendly than the original version."</p>
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<span property="dc:title" content="NRTLs deliver Web tools for improved certificating" class="rdf-meta element-hidden"></span>Thu, 07 Jul 2011 14:19:34 +0000legacy_editor14785 at http://www.securitysystemsnews.comhttp://www.securitysystemsnews.com/article/nrtls-deliver-web-tools-improved-certificating#comments